Jlgrks Posted October 30, 2018 Report Share Posted October 30, 2018 Hi! I recently started getting into throwing and just bought an old Brent model A off Craigslist to get more practice at home. I haven’t thrown on it yet and it seems to be working fine but I was wondering if anyone here had any insight as I haven’t gotten much from the company... The control panel seems to be missing as there is no on/off switch, the person I spoke with said they have a similar control panel but it would not fit this model. Not a big deal to me, it’s on when it’s plugged in and off when it’s not. The person I spoke with also said they’ve never seen a foot pedal like this one on a Brent. I’d be more interested in replacing this if possible, has anyone done that on this model? The motor has a very slight squeak to it when spinning, from what information I’ve found it seems like the brushes need to be cleaned/replaced, however they’re in such an awkward position against the housing they’re almost impossible to unscrew. Has anyone managed to do this? Is it worth removing the motor to be able to get to them? Also if anyone has any general maintenance suggestions I could make on such an old machine to help it last I’d appreciate it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hulk Posted October 30, 2018 Report Share Posted October 30, 2018 Local JC has one in the lab - I've never tried it out, however, my friend L*** uses it exclusively - will check it out and get back. …that said, I believe there are two or three frequenters of this forum who own model A Brents... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark C. Posted October 30, 2018 Report Share Posted October 30, 2018 I own two of these model A's Yours has been modified-it would help if you posted a photo of the right hand side where the switch used to be? Your foot pedal is not a Brent -I saw one for sale last month on e-bay-it did sell .They are available from Brent but cost a fair amount of $ You can find info here on parts and repair I have removed all the parts off of one of my model A's and as you noted the motor is hard to access but thats also the beauty of this very small wheel. The motor bracket is very tight and its best to take off the belt 1st. Once the belt is off you can now tell whether the motor squeaks (since its the only thing spring) or its the wheel head bearing if the motor now runs quiet . You need to have some mechanical skills for this job.Be careful as some of these parts are no longer available . You need to CALL(not e-mail) Amaco/Brent about those motor brushes before taking that motor out to see if they have them still. Ask them about the foot pedal and the fact that you have no on/off switch-I'm sure Brent has some of them still.If not I have the motor company info if needed (its a bit hard for me to get this week) Also a photo of the inside where your foot pedal wire attaches would help me diagnose this as someone changed this to some sort of cheap plastic sewing machine speed pedal?Never seen this before It would be best to get a switch and the right foot pedal and have this wheel back to original condition. I would coat the 4 bolt heads that penetrate the deck with some clear silicone sealant so water does not get under them and explode the flakeboard top if it gets wet. Also makes sure the edge of top is well sealed if not use some clear urethane to seal it. Please post what you learn from this and I will help I'm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jlgrks Posted October 31, 2018 Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2018 Thank you! Very helpful info Here are a few more photos, as you can see there's just a hole where the switch should be, the Amaco representative linked me to this control box but said it would not fit inside the A wheel's frame (not to mention it also costs more than I paid for the whole thing) https://www.amaco.com/products/control-box-a-b-c-cxc-110v-comp?ref=2&taxon_id=353 You're right that the foot pedal seems to be an old metal sewing machine pedal, it would be great to get the right one on there. My main concern is dumping a bunch of money into it to have part fail that can't be replaced. I will try calling Amaco/Brent tomorrow morning to see if that gets me any further. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liambesaw Posted October 31, 2018 Report Share Posted October 31, 2018 I wouldn't dump much money into it if it's gonna be hard to get parts. My 50 year old shimpo rk2 is ancient but believe it or not, I can still get almost every part for it, including new knob handles, etc. And even then, every time the new style of wheels goes on sale I start doing the financing math in my head haha. Sure would be nice to get a new vl-whisper or Skutt legend. But I suppose I'll repair and modify my dinosaur until I can't. If it works and you're planning on getting a decent wheel in the future, no need to dump any money into it, just use it up. Can't believe they want 240 bucks for a glorified switch and fuse box, asinine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted October 31, 2018 Report Share Posted October 31, 2018 You can always put an external control box on it and rig it all up to work just fine with the new electronics, but you'd be better off just using it as is, and start looking for a replacement wheel. That thing will nickel and dime you to death, especially with the price of repair parts. By the time you do a new controller and pedal, you can get another used wheel or two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark C. Posted October 31, 2018 Report Share Posted October 31, 2018 Heres the way I see it-Your control box is working fine do not mess with it -You just need a foot pedal.I would not sink $$ into a new pedal or control box.It works now it sounds like. If you are handy with wiring and want a on/off switch you can wire in an on off switch yourself-just buy one at the hardware store and drill a hole on the side of wheel and make the plug go to that 1st and then power to the box. Start looking around for used foot pedal-ask Brent for an old one if you talk to them-the one on e-bay went for under 50$ but they are rare to see. It looks like someone sprayed blue paint inside this wheel for some reason as well as changed out some wires as well. Its fine as long as it works.heck a new sewing machine pedal if thats a cheap fix could work as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hulk Posted October 31, 2018 Report Share Posted October 31, 2018 The model A at the JC lab appears to be in original condition; I've not given it a whirl, as I'm clockwise and there is no reversing switch (that I see...). As mentioned, preventing water damage is important; this one is in good shape, however, others I've seen had top replaced, or needed it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted October 31, 2018 Report Share Posted October 31, 2018 Even though your pedal is not original, and may not be ideal, you will get used to it quickly. Give it a couple weeks before spending any money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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